​​​The AACR June L. Biedler Prize for CancerJournalism

Prize Summary

The AACR June L. Biedler Prize for Cancer Journalism is a program of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) to raise awareness of the critical role that the media play in educating the public about cancer and cancer research. The AACR Biedler Prize has been established to showcase outstanding examples of cancer journalism, and to recognize individual professional journalists who have produced accurate, informative, and compelling stories.

The AACR Biedler Prize is funded by a major bequest to the AACR from Dr. June L. Biedler, a scientist, mentor, and pioneer in cancer research, and former member of the board of directors of the AACR. In honor of Dr. Biedler’s exceptional efforts to further science and healthcare communications, the prize will honor and reward outstanding journalistic coverage that enhances the public’s understanding of cancer, cancer research, or cancer policy.

The prize will provide an unrestricted cash award of $5,000, a commemorative plaque, and travel expenses to the AACR Annual Meeting March 30-April 3, 2019, in Atlanta, Georgia to receive the prize.

Who Can Apply

The AACR Biedler Prize is open to print, broadcast, and online professional journalists whose stories appear in newspapers, magazines, websites, television, and radio that target a lay public audience. There is no entry fee. Trade publications are not eligible.

Categories

Submissions will be judged and recipients selected based on the following categories:

Print and Online

Large newspaper (circulation >100,000)

Small newspaper (circulation <100,000)

Magazine

Online/multimedia

Broadcast

Television

Radio

Each submission may only be considered for one category as selected by the candidate in his or her application form.

Judging Panel

The judging panel consists of experts from diverse professional backgrounds including journalists, editors, communications experts, producers, scientists, and patient advocates. The AACR’s conflict of interest policy will be enforced for membership on the judging panel and throughout the review process.

Judging Criteria

The judging panel will evaluate each entry on the following criteria:

Outstanding ability to educate the public about cancer, cancer research, or policy;

Effective and accurate translation of cancer science;

Significance and timeliness of the subject;

Creativity and novelty of the reporting; and,

Clarity, precision, and elegance of the language used.

Selection of the recipients will be based on the candidate’s accomplishments with no regard given to race, gender identity, sexual orientation, nationality, geographic location, or religious or political views.

Application Instructions

Stories must have been published or broadcast for the first time between January 2018 and November 2018.

The submission must enhance the public’s understanding of cancer, cancer research, or policy.

Candidacy is open to journalists targeting the lay public.

The submission must be in English, or accurately translated into English.

More than one individual may share the prize as co-creators, with a maximum of two representatives invited to attend the AACR Annual Meeting to accept the prize if the prize is shared.

Prize winners must be in attendance to accept the prize on Sunday, March 31, 2019, in Atlanta.

Institutions or organizations are not eligible for the prize.

Important Dates

Deadline for submission extended: Dec. 19, 2018

Decision: February 2019

Notification: February 2019

Prize AcceptanceAwardees are required to attend the AACR Annual Meeting to formally accept the award at the opening ceremony Sunday, March 31, 2019, in Atlanta, Georgia. Recipients will also be recognized at a special dinner for all the AACR awardees and prize winners. The AACR will reimburse reasonable expenses associated with travel to the Annual Meeting.

Submission ProcessApplications should be submitted via the AACR to https://myaacr.aacr.org. (You must create an account first).Requirements for submission on https://myaacr.aacr.org are listed below; all must be completed in English:

Contact Information

About June L. Biedler, PhD

June L. Biedler, PhD, was a dedicated member of the AACR, a former member of the board of directors, a recipient of the AACR G.H.A. Clowes Memorial Award, and a distinguished scientist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Above all, she was a remarkable human being who cared deeply about education of the lay public about the importance of cancer research.

Dr. Biedler passed away in 2012, but her contributions to the AACR have continued. In October 2014, her estate made a gift to the AACR, the largest bequest in AACR history. As a result of her generous gift, the AACR has established the AACR June L. Biedler Cancer Journalism Prize Program.